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Momofuku Ginger Scallion Sauce

One of my favorite New York food treats is to inhale pork in many forms at Momofuku Ssam Bar. The Bo Ssam pork shoulder is particularly delightful, served whole and fall-apart-glistening for the table to share. Everyone grabs tongs and snaps at the meat like a pack of well-dressed wolves, filling lettuce leaves with slabs of silky shoulder topped with sticky rice, raw oysters (!), kimchi, and a bright blast of ginger scallion sauce. As gorgeous as that pork shoulder is – and it is a stunner, not to be missed – this last trip it was the addictive ginger scallion sauce that I couldn’t stop thinking about.

Luckily, I possess the Momofuku Cookbook and just looked the dang stuff up when I got home. It’s a snap to make and I am not exaggerating when I say that its sparkle belongs on everything: noodles, all vegetables, scrambled eggs, rice, tofu, soups, all meats, your finger. So. Good. (After a little googling, I find I’m not the only one obsessed with the stuff: Sarah Gim’s take on Tastespotting blog and Francis Lam’s “explosive” version on Gilt Taste, which I also can’t wait to make.)

For the photo, I tossed the sauce with hot rice noodles, ladled a bit of rich chicken stock into the bowl, and added a few pickles and crushed peanuts for crunch. Let’s call that dish Five-Minute Comfort, because that’s exactly how long it took to make (given already prepared sauce and a stash of chicken stock in the freezer). The other dish is chopped Brussels sprouts stir-fried with some of the sauce, topped with cubes of crispy fried tofu, topped with more sauce and a few dashes of toasted sesame oil. I dub that dish 15-Minute Comfort.

I ate them both right after the pic (separately and then tossed together, yes!)…snip, snap, gone.

Mix together the scallions, ginger, oil, soy, vinegar, and salt in a bowl. Taste and check for salt, adding more if needed. Though it’s best after 15 or 20 minutes of sitting, ginger scallion sauce is good from the minute it’s stirred together up to a day or two in the fridge. Use as directed, or apply as needed.

Older Comments

By Peter@thehumblepalateon November 6, 2012 at 2:36PM

Thanks for the tofu inspiration! I love tofu and try as often as possible to incorporate it into our meals at home, yet my wife's taste buds can sometimes be, let's just say, a challenge (Love you babe!). So far the only way she'll enjoy tofu is either marinated in a shiro miso and fried, or ground up and incorporated into a recipe I have for a quinoa veggie burger. Regardless, this recipe inspires me to give it another try...Thanks!